Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy Issues

Foreign Policy Issue #1: ISIS (in general)

In 2015, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) proposed declaring war against the Islamic State (ISIS). The declaration would give the President more authority to carry out broader attacks on the militant group without Congressional approval. Opponents argue that the order would give the President too much power by eliminating Congressional oversight. Proponents argue that fighting an organization like ISIS requires an unconventional war plan that requires the President to make quick decisions without Congressional oversight. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

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Foreign Policy Issue #2: ISIS (in Syria)

After the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris, several Presidential candidates gave new positions on how the U.S. should combat ISIS in the Syria. The U.S. is currently involved in a coalition of 19 countries that has launched 8,000 airstrikes against ISIS. None of the countries currently have ground troops in Syria. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #3: ISIS (and Russia)

In late September 2015, the Russian army conducted its first airstrikes in Syria and claimed they were intended to target ISIS positions within the country. U.S. military leaders and the Obama administration immediately warned that Russia is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and that the Russians will eventually turn their airstrikes against Syrian rebels who were recently supported by the U.S. Opponents of any further intervention in Syria argue that U.S. efforts to train rebels have failed miserably, and we should stay out any further conflict in the region. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #4: Syrian Refugees

In 2015, President Obama declared that the U.S. will accept 10,000 refugees from Syria. The U.S. has been under pressure from its Syrian allies to help out with the crisis in which 3 Million refugees have fled Syria in the past year. Those in favor of accepting refugees believe that the U.S. has a duty to join its allies in Europe and accept at least 10,000 refugees. Opponents argue that the U.S. should stay out of this crisis and accepting refugees from the Middle East leads to a risk of letting terrorists into our borders. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #5: President Assad of Syria

The Syrian Civil war began in the spring of 2011 after nationwide protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad resulted in armed conflict. After rebels seized control of several major cities, ISIS forces moved in and took over control of many regions of northern Syria. The government of Assad responded by carrying out airstrikes resulting in over 70,000 civilian deaths. Proponents of overthrowing Assad argue that he is a brutal dictator who must be removed from power before he carries out any more atrocities on innocent Syrian civilians. Opponents of regime change, including President Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, argue that removing Assad will result in a power vacuum that will destabilize the Middle East. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #6: Drones

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles deployed by U.S. defense and intelligence agencies to collect data and strike suspected enemy targets. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #7: NSA Surveillance

The cache of documents revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden disclosed that the U.S. used surveillance methods to monitor the emails and phone calls of its closest foreign allies including Germany, France and Brazil. The revelations have severely damaged the U.S.'s relationship with these countries even though State Department officials have insisted that these surveillance programs have thwarted many terrorist threats worldwide. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #8: North Korea

In January of 2016, North Korea announced that it detonated its first hydrogen bomb. CBS News reported that the U.S. intelligence community is skeptical that North Korea used a thermonuclear device. The blast was in single-digit kilotons, and a thermonuclear device is measured in megatons. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has been more ambitious than his father in the pursuit of long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, even in the face of warnings from China. Proponents of military strikes argue that North Korea crossed a line with its latest test and must be stopped at all costs. Opponents argue that North Korea repeatedly lies about its missile capabilities and that the we should let other countries in the region, such as China and South Korea, address this issue. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #9: Guantanamo Bay

In February 2016, President Obama sent Congress a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The U.S. took over control of Guantanamo Bay after the Spanish American war in 1903 under the Cuban-American Treaty of Relations. The treaty specifies that the U.S. controls the territory while Cuba retains sovereignty. In January 2002, the U.S. military set up a detention center to hold terrorist suspects after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The U.S. chose the location due to the fact that terrorist suspects held at the center would not be protected under the Geneva Convention since it was located outside of the U.S. The detention center has held up to 779 inmates, many of whom have described being subject to abuse and torture including waterboarding. President Obama’s plan to close the prison would send 30 to 60 prisoners to jails in the U.S. and transfer the remaining prisoners to other countries. Proponents of closing the base argue that indefinitely holding prisoners in Guantanamo is unconstitutional since none of the prisoners have been tried and convicted in a court of law. Opponents argue that closing the base would put the U.S. at risk of another terrorist attack since prisoners would be transferred to prisons in the U.S.(Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #10: Cuban Trade/Travel Ban

In December 2014, President Obama ordered the restoration of full democratic relations with Cuba. The order lifted a 54-year-old trade embargo and eased restrictions on banking and American’s travel to the country. Proponents of relations with Cuba argue that U.S. influence through tourism and trade will promote capitalism and weaken its communist regime. Opponents argue that trade and diplomatic relations will only strengthen the communist regime’s grip on the Cuban government. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #11: Foreign Aid

Currently, the U.S. gives $31.55B, or 0.19% of GDP, development assistance to other countries. The top 10 recipient countries include: Afghanistan, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, West Bank/Gaza, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Malawi, Uganda, and South Africa. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #12: Enhanced Interrogation

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the George W. Bush Administration authorized the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” at secret detention facilities around the world run by the defense department and CIA. The authorization approved the use of many techniques including beatings, binding in stress positions, hooding, sleep deprivation and waterboarding. In 2008, President Obama signed an executive order banning the use torture by the U.S. military and CIA. In 2016, the use of torture became a topic during the Presidential race when candidate Donald Trump suggested it should be used against the Islamic State. Opponents of torture argue that the U.S. should never practice torture since it is inhumane and illegal under international law. Proponents argue that the military should not be prevented from using torture if they believe it will keep the country safe. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #13: The "Rights" of Terrorists

In 2002, the George W. Bush Administration issued the Torture Memos which argued for a narrow definition of torture under U.S. law. They included granting the CIA authority to use “enhanced interrogation techniques” on enemy combatants. The techniques included waterboarding subjection to extreme cold and confinement in small boxes. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #14: Military spending

In 2015, the estimated U.S. military budget is expected to be $601 billion, down from $610 billion spent in 2014. The U.S. outspends the next six highest spending nations combined. China has the second largest budget at $216 billion, and Russia has the third largest with $84.5 billion. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #15: Mandatory military service

Military service is not required in the U.S. Proponents of required service argue that it isn't fair that a small percentage of Americans serve in the military to protect the rest of the population. Opponents argue that the requirement is unnecessary because modern warfare is fought less and less with ground troops and more with unmanned technology including drones. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #16: Support for Israel

The U.S. currently gives $3.3 billion to Israel every year, which is 1/3rd of the U.S.’s foreign aid budget. Most of the aid is used by Israel to buy American military hardware, such as jets and components for missile defense. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)

Foreign Policy Issue #17: The United Nations

The United Nations was formed in 1945 by the U.S., Soviet Union, U.K. and China as an Intergovernmental organization that would international co-operation after World War II. Recent U.N. interventions include the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009 and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The U.S. pays 28.38% of the U.N.'s $8.57 billion peacekeeping budget. The next closest contributor is Japan at 10.83%. (Info and poll from www.isidewith.com.)